US20030184050A1

US20030184050A1 - Multifunctional ski

Info

Publication number: US20030184050A1
Application number: US10/297,848
Authority: US
Inventors: Klaus Hotter; Helmut Umlauft
Original assignee: Head Sport GmbH
Current assignee: Head Sport GmbH
Priority date: 2000-06-19
Filing date: 2001-06-19
Publication date: 2003-10-02
Also published as: DE20121473U1; WO2001097929A8; WO2001097929A2; WO2001097929A3; AU8755201A; WO2001097929A9; JP2003535662A; EP1292368A2; DE10030077B4; DE10030077A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an improved ski which offers many possibilities of use in a wide range of environmental conditions. The inventive ski is bent upwards at both end sections in order to form a tip at both ends. The ski is also provided with a binding plate which can be fixed in a first direction and a second direction to the ski in such a way that the ski can be used optimally in both directions. The body of the ski is thus asymmetrically configured so that said inventive ski is optimally suitable for a wide range of conditions.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a ski, in particular an alpine ski, which can be used multifunctionally and which can be adapted flexibly and optimally to different environmental conditions and/or users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art discloses so-called carving skis which are waisted so that they have a center section which is narrower than the two ends of the ski. The widths of the skis at the two ends can vary considerably and generally lie between about 90 and 120 mm, while the center section has a width of about 60 to 90 mm. The two ends of the ski normally have different widths, wherein the width in the front shovel area of the ski is generally larger than that at the end of the ski. However, also carving skis having a larger width at the end of the ski than at the shovel area are known.

The optimum ski shape depends, i.a., on the external environmental conditions, the application and the conditions of the ski run or slope, so that none of the known carving skis offers a versatile use which can be adapted optimally to the prevailing environmental conditions and slope conditions.

DE-C-44 03 499 relates to a cross-country ski, comprising a scale-like running surface profile on its lower surface and a cross-country binding fixed to its upper surface. For the cross-country ski to be usable in both directions, the two ends of it are bent upwards. Moreover, the binding is constructed such that the ski boot can be attached thereto in both skiing directions. For this purpose, the binding can either have two opposite binding jaws for receiving the ski boot or a binding jaw that is arranged such that it can rotate around an axis extending vertically with respect to the top surface of the ski.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ski which can in particular be adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions and/or users. This object is achieved with the features of the claims.

In achieving this object, the invention starts out from the basic idea to bend upwards the two end sections of a ski being asymmetric with respect to its transverse axis or a ski having positive or negative tapers in order to provide at the two ends ski tips having a shovel, and to attach to the ski a binding plate which can be fixed in at least two different positions. In a first position of the binding plate a first end section of the ski forms the ski tip, and in the second position the opposite second end section of the ski forms the ski tip. The binding plate is preferably fixed such to the ski that for both positions an optimum binding mounting point can be adjusted. To this end, it is particularly preferred that a rotational axis of the binding plate is arranged such that the binding mounting points are optimally positioned both in the first position and in the second position. For this purpose, the rotational axis is preferably located in an area between the two jaws of the ski binding that have to be mounted on the binding plate.

Thus, a ski is provided which can be adapted optimally to different purposes, depending on the snow and/or slope conditions or also depending on the requirements of the skier using the ski. In particular, the ski according to the invention is adapted in a particularly advantageous manner both to normal, e.g. hard and icy slope conditions, and to skiing in deep or powder snow and mogul fields, as well as to jumps. A carving ski in which the front shovel is wider than the tail end of the ski is, for instance, particularly suitable for “free ride” techniques (carving on and away from the slope), while a ski having a narrower front shovel area provides better conditions for “freestyle” and “slope style”, in particular for jumps. By means of the ski according to the present invention, which can be used bi-directionally and in which, depending on the rotational position of the binding plate, either the front shovel or the tail shovel is wider and moreover the binding mounting point is variable, a ski is consequently provided which can be adapted optimally to a wide range of requirements and environmental conditions. Thus, in the free ride position the ski provides a maximum lift and a quiet running, e.g., in snow without tracks, due to the wide shovel and the narrower tail end, and in the slope style position the ski provides a better weight distribution for tricks and more stability during landing of jumps due to the narrower shovel and the wider tail end as well as due to the shift of the binding mounting point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the ski according to the present invention are exemplarily described in the following with reference to the drawings in which [0008]
FIG. 1 is a side view of the inventive ski with a binding plate in a first position for a first direction of travel of the ski; [0009]
FIG. 2 shows the inventive ski according to FIG. 1, wherein the binding plate is fixed in a second position for using the ski in the opposite direction; [0010]
FIG. 3 is a top view of the ski according to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein an embodiment of the position change of the binding plate is illustrated; [0011]
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the center section of the inventive ski according to FIG. 3 in which an embodiment for mounting the binding plate on the ski is illustrated; [0012]
FIG. 5 shows a mounting element for fixing the binding plate to the ski according to FIG. 3; and [0013]
FIG. 6 shows the course of the position change of a preferred embodiment of the binding plate with mounted binding from a first position into a second position.[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The [0015] inventive ski 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 essentially comprises a ski body 4 having a first end section 6 and a second end section 8 as well as a binding plate 10. In the area of the end sections 6 and 8, the ski body 4 is bent upwards in order to form shovel- shaped ski tips 12 and 14, respectively. A binding comprising a front binding element 16 for receiving a front of a ski boot 17 and a rear binding element 18 for receiving a rear section of the ski boot 17 is mounted on the binding plate 10.
The [0016] ski body 4 of the ski 2 according to the invention is asymmetric with respect to its transverse axis, i.e. the width of the ski body 4 is different at the two end sections 6 and 8, which is achieved, e.g., by suitably waisting the ski body in that the center of the radius forming the waist is shifted in the longitudinal direction with respect to the center of the ski length. In the preferred embodiment, the ski according to the invention has an overall length L of about 180 cm. The maximum width of the ski body 4 at the first end section 6 is preferably about 111 mm, wherein this width is measured at a distance of about 110 mm from the first ski tip 12. The maximum width of the ski body 4 at the second opposite end section 8 is about 106 mm, wherein this width is measured at a distance of about 1700 mm from the first ski tip 12. At a distance of about 934 mm from the first ski tip 12, the minimum width of the ski body 4 is preferably about 75 mm. The radius of the waisting of the ski body 4 is preferably about 18.57 m. The ski body 4 thus has a waisting due to which the widest sections in the end sections 6 and 8 have different widths, i.e. the waisting has a tapering scale, so that depending on the rotational position of the binding plate 10 the ski is either wider in the front (positive tapering) than in the back or vice versa (negative tapering).
The [0017] ski 2 according to the invention can be adapted variably to a wide range of environmental conditions and users because the binding plate 10 can be fixed in two opposite directions to the ski body 4. This means that in a first position according to FIG. 1 the front section of the binding plate for receiving the front binding element 16 points towards the first ski tip 12, while in a second position according to FIG. 2 this front section of the binding plate 10 which carries the front binding element 16 points towards the second ski tip 14. For mounting the binding plate 10 on the ski body 4, use can be made of any mounting mechanism that is suitable for fixing the binding plate 10 sufficiently strongly in the two positions to the ski body 4. However, this mounting means is preferably configured as a quick or snap lock which allows the binding plate to be changed from the first position into the second position without using any tools. Moreover, it should be taken into account that in the area of the binding plate 10 and the binding of the ski 2 according to the invention there can be snow or ice which makes the use of the mounting means more difficult, so that the mounting mechanism should be configured such that it also remains usable under such conditions.
In addition to the opposite first and second mounting positions of the binding plate at the [0018] ski body 4, the binding plate 10 can also be attached such at the ski body 4 that it is shiftable in the longitudinal direction. This can be helpful in particular for adjusting the optimum binding mounting points for the relevant direction of use of the ski 2 according to the present invention. In FIGS. 1 to 3 preferred guiding marks SMM1 and SMM2 for the middle of the boot are shown for the optimum mounting points of the relevant direction of travel. For adjusting the two mounting points, the rotational point or pivot point should be selected in a suitable manner and/or the binding plate 10 should be shiftable in the longitudinal direction. The binding itself is preferably also adjustable on the binding plate 10 in the longitudinal direction.
A possibility of moving the [0019] binding plate 10 relatively to the ski body 4 from the first position shown in FIG. 1 into the second position shown in FIG. 2 is rotating the binding plate 10 around a rotational point 20, as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. According to this embodiment, the binding plate 10 is fixed to the ski body 4 by means of a rotation guiding means 22 so that it can rotate around the rotational point 20, and it is preferably fixed to the ski body 4 in an axially shiftable manner. For this purpose, the binding plate 10 has an undercut guide slot 23, wherein a rotational piece (not shown) mounted on the ski body 4 engages with this undercut. The binding plate 10 can freely rotate around this rotational piece. Moreover, the binding plate 10 comprises at least one, preferably two undercut slots 24 extending in the circumferential direction. For fixing the binding plate 10 to the ski body 4, the ski body preferably comprises two mounting elements 26 per slot 24, one of these mounting elements being shown in more detail in FIG. 5. The mounting element 26 comprises a sleeve section 28 and a plate section 30 and can be attached to the ski body 4 by means of a through hole 32. For being fixed to the ski body 4, the binding plate 10 is rotated around the rotational point 20 so that the slots 24 are moved over the mounting elements 26. The plate sections 30 of the mounting elements 26 engage with the undercuts of the slots 24, so that the binding plate 10 adheres to the ski body 4. For fixing this position, the binding plate 10 has at least one, preferably two holes 34 in the area of the slots 24. For securing the position of the binding plate 10 at the ski body 4, preferably two securing pins (not shown) are inserted into the holes 34 in such a manner that they are positioned between an adjacent pair (adjacent in the transverse direction) of mounting elements 26, in order to prevent a rotational movement of the binding plate 10 relatively to the ski body 4. The securing pins themselves can also be fixed to the binding plate by means of a suitable securing means.
When changing the position of the [0020] binding plate 10 from the orientation shown in FIG. 1 into the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the securing pin must first be removed, and then the binding plate 10 has to be rotated around the rotational point 20 and, after a rotation by about 180°, it is fixed in the same manner as described above. For this purpose, the ski body 4 comprises mounting elements 26 at both sides of the rotational point 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In contrast to the embodiment shown, it is however preferred to provide the mounting elements 26 in such a way at the two sides of the rotational point 20 that in both positions they are covered by the binding plate 10.
The optimum mounting point of the [0021] binding plate 10 in the relevant positions can be adjusted by means of the rotation guiding means 22. This means allows the shifting of the binding plate 10 in the longitudinal direction relatively to the ski body 4, so that an additional variability is given. In this regard it is also possible to provide further slots 24 in the binding plate 10, so that the binding plate can be fixed in further axial positions.
FIG. 6 shows a further, basically similar way of moving the binding [0022] plate 10 relatively to the ski body 4 from the first position shown in FIG. 1 into the second position shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, too, the binding plate 10 is fixed at the ski body 4 in such a manner that it can rotate around a rotational axis. For changing the direction of the binding on the ski, first a locking flap 36 is opened until it snaps in, according to FIG. 6A. Thus, the interlocking between the binding plate 10 and the mounting elements 26 is released. The locking flap 36 is part of a locking or mounting means 38 by means of which the binding plate 10 is fixed to the ski body 4. The locking means 38 preferably comprises a toggle lever mechanism and is spring loaded. After opening the locking flap, the binding plate 10 can be lifted around a rotational axis 40 provided at the mounting means 38, as clearly shown in the middle representation of FIG. 6B. The binding plate 10 is thus lifted from the mounting element or sliding block 26 and sliding sheet 27 provided at the ski body 4 in the direction of the arrow 42 (middle representation of FIG. 6B). The sliding sheet 27 preferably serves i.a. for guiding and/or fixing the binding plate 10. In this state according to the lower representation of FIG. 6B, the binding plate 10 can be rotated around a rotational axis in the direction of the arrow 44. The rotational connection between the ski body and the binding plate 10 is established via the mounting means 38 which is connected with the ski body 4 by means of a rotational axis. The rotational axis is positioned such at the mounting means 38 and the ski body 4 that the binding plate 10 and thus the binding takes in both positions an optimum binding mounting position, i.e. the center of the boot is in any case in the most suitable position. In a preferred embodiment, the binding mounting point is shifted in the “slope style” position, i.e. narrower shovel and wider tail, vis-à-vis the “free ride” position, i.e. wider shovel and narrower tail, by about 2 to 6 cm, preferably about 3 to 5 cm, particularly preferably about 4.1 cm towards the center.
For limiting the swiveling movement of the [0023] binding plate 10 around the rotational axis 40, it is also preferred to provide a retention strap 46 whose ends are attached to the binding plate 10 and the mounting means 38. After a rotation by 180°, the binding plate 10 is again moved onto the ski body 4 in the direction of the arrow 48, according to the left-hand representation of FIG. 6C. Then the locking flap 36 is closed, as shown in the right-hand representation of FIG. 6C, so that the binding plate 10 is again fixed. The binding 16, 18 mounted on the binding plate 10 is now in a usable position which is rotated with respect to the original position by 180°. The embodiment according to FIG. 6 is advantageous vis-à-vis the first embodiment in particular in view of its simplified use and increased stability. Moreover, in this embodiment of the mounting means all mounting elements are arranged under the binding plate 10 independent of the position of the binding plate 10 on the ski body 4, so that the mounting elements are invisible and better protected against dirt and ice.
As an alternative to the embodiment described above, it is also possible to provide instead of the rotational mechanism a shifting mechanism which allows the binding [0024] plate 10 to be shifted onto the ski body 4. By means of a quick lock, in such an embodiment the binding plate 10 can be shifted on the ski body 4 in the longitudinal direction and/or can be removed therefrom and again be fixed in the opposite direction. According to this embodiment, there is an additional variability because the binding plate 10 can be configured such that it can engage in a plurality of different longitudinal positions.
The ski according to the invention allows an optimum adaptation to a wide range of environmental conditions and skiing habits of a skier, and therefore the ski of the invention can be used much more variably than normal skis. The inventive construction is particularly advantageous because by means of this construction the relatively high forces and moments, which occur in particular during alpine skiing, can be safely transferred from the binding consisting of the front and rear jaws via the binding plate to the ski, wherein in both directions of travel of the ski the binding is positioned in the most suitable position. [0025]

Claims

1. A ski (2) comprising

(a) a first end section (6) and a second end section (8), both of which are bent upwards;

(b) a waisting which is configured such that the two end sections (6, 8) have different maximum widths; and

(c) a binding plate (10), which is fixable to the ski (2) in at least two different positions, wherein in a first position the first end section (6) of the ski (2) forms a ski tip and in a second position the second end section (8) of the ski (2) forms the ski tip.

2. The ski (2) according to claim 1, wherein the binding plate (10) is positionable and fixable to the ski (2) in such a manner that optimum mounting points can be adjusted for the two positions.

3. The ski (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the binding plate (10) is arranged such that it is rotatable around a rotational point (20) in order to pivot the binding plate (10) between the two positions.

4. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the binding plate (10) is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the ski (2) and fixable in different longitudinal positions.

5. The ski (2) according to claim 4, wherein the binding plate (10) is supported at the rotational point (20) such that it is movable in the longitudinal direction.

6. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the binding plate (10) is fixable in the two positions by means of a fixing means (24, 26, 34; 26; 36, 38).

7. The ski (2) according to claim 6, wherein the fixing means comprises at least one slot (24) provided in the binding plate (10) and extending in the circumferential direction, at least one mounting element (26) provided on the ski (2) and being insertable into the slot (24), and a securing element securing the binding plate (10) at the ski (2) in the respective selected position.

8. The ski (2) according to claim 7, wherein two slots (24) are provided which extend essentially parallel with respect to one another and through the binding plate (10) in the circumferential direction and are undercut, the ski (2) comprises four mounting elements (26), two of which being insertable into each slot (24), and the securing element is insertable into the binding plate in the longitudinal direction and extends between the two pairs of mounting elements (26).

9. The ski (2) according to claim 6, wherein the fixing means comprises a mounting means (38) which is rotatably hinged at the ski body (4), wherein the binding plate (10) is arranged at the mounting means (38) in such a way that it is rotatable around a swiveling axis (40).

10. The ski (2) according to claim 9, wherein the swiveling axis (40) is arranged essentially vertical with respect to the rotational axis of the mounting means (38).

11. The ski (2) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the mounting means (38) comprises a locking mechanism (36) for locking the binding plate (10) at the ski body (4) in both positions.

12. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein on both sides of the rotational axis the fixing means comprises at least one mounting element (26), wherein in the locked state one of the mounting elements (26) engages with the binding plate (10) and the other one of the mounting elements (26) engages with the mounting means (38) in order to fix the binding plate (10) to the ski body (4).

13. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fixing means is configured as a quick and/or snap lock or comprises a quick and/or snap lock.

14. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein only a partial section of the binding plate (10) is connected with the ski (2), so that the ski (2) is essentially freely deformable.

15. The ski (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the binding plate (10) is configured such that front and rear binding elements (16, 18) are mountable thereon.

16. A ski (2) comprising:

(a) a first end section (6) and a second end section (8), both of which are bent upwards; and

(b) a waisting which is configured such that the two end sections (6, 8) have different maximum widths;

wherein the ski is dimensioned such that it can be adapted optimally to a wide range of environmental conditions and/or skiers.

17. A binding plate (10) for skis in combination with a mounting means (38), wherein the binding plate (10) is arranged at the mounting means (38) in a manner swivelable around an axis and the mounting means (38) comprises a rotational means for rotating the binding plate (10) and the mounting means (38) around a rotational axis extending vertically with respect to the swiveling axis.